May 25, 2012

A college star at Rutgers
who led the nation in scoring in 1973, Jennings
was chosen by the Kansas City Chiefs in the ninth round of the ’74 NFL draft
and tenth round by the then-Toronto Northmen of the new WFL. He signed with Toronto, and a month later the franchise was shifted to Memphis. Jennings became part of an outstanding
running game that included John Harvey and Willie Spencer.

1974 Season Summary

Appeared in all 20 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate
league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 322 [2]

Yards – 1524 [2]

Average gain – 4.7 [3]

TDs – 11 [3, tied with Tommy Reamon & Bubba Wyche]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 46

Yards – 431

Average gain – 9.4

TDs – 2

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 4

Yards – 80

Average per return – 20.0

TDs – 0

Longest return – 25 yards

Scoring

TDs – 13 [6, tied with Don Highsmith]

Action Points – 3

Points – 94 [6, tied with John Land]

(Note:
Touchdowns counted for 7 points in the WFL)

Postseason: 1 G (Second Round playoff vs. Florida)

Rushing attempts – 24

Rushing yards – 106

Average gain rushing – 4.4

Rushing TDs – 1

Pass receptions – 1

Pass receiving yards - 7

Average yards per reception
– 7.0

Pass Receiving TDs - 0

Awards & Honors:

WFL MVP: League (co-winner)

1st team All-WFL:
League, Sporting News

Southmen went 17-3 to finish
first in the WFL Central Division. Lost Second Round playoff to Florida Blazers
(18-15).

Aftermath:

With the arrival of FB Larry
Csonka and HB Jim Kiick from the Miami Dolphins, and despite his success in
’74, Jennings was dealt to the Philadelphia Bell for the 1975 season, where it
was hoped that his having been a college star in New Jersey would be a plus in
terms of drawing fans. He rushed for 345 yards on 82 carries (4.2 avg.) and
caught 12 passes for 95 more yards before the WFL folded. While he signed with
the Chiefs, he ran into injury problems, spent 1976 on injured reserve, and
never made it to the regular season in the NFL.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL,
AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell
Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).